PR: New special exhibition commemorating Texas aviation

On exhibit September 12, 2010 through January 9, 2011, Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas Aviation Celebration will tell the story of Texas aviation—past, present, and future—in a new, special exhibition that will brag on the dynamic achievements of Texas aviators, designers, manufacturers, and services.

Here's the PR:

tory to be Told at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum September 2010

AUSTIN, TX, August 2010–The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is embarking on a mission to tell a truly uplifting story with a dramatic and unprecedented special exhibition commemorating Texas aviation history titled, Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas viation Celebration.

The history of aviation in Texas is the story of industry innovation, record-setting achievements, gravity-defying feats, and the soaring human spirit. Texas has been, and continues to be, a leader in manufacturing, hospitality, science exploration, and scholarship, pushing the global economy year after year with new research and billions of dollars in revenue.

The year 2010 marks the centennial of flight in Texas. Since Frenchman Louis Paulhan’s first flight in Texas on February 18, 1910, Texas has been on the leading edge of aviation. The first U.S. military flight was in March 1910 from Fort Sam Houston, beginning Texas’s long tradition of military aviation. The first person to build and fly a plane in Texas was L.L. Walker Jr. in Houston, exemplifying the spirit that has driven the aviation industry in Texas ever since.

On exhibit September 12, 2010 through January 9, 2011, Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas Aviation Celebration will tell the story of Texas aviation—past, present, and future—in a special exhibition that will brag on the dynamic achievements of Texas aviators, designers, manufacturers, and services. The exhibition is organized by guest curator Barbara Ganson Ph.D., a professor of aviation history.

Included in the exhibit are 5 large scale models of aircraft including an AT-6 Texan, B-24 Liberator, Southwest Airlines Lone Star One, Mooney Acclaim Type S, a Bell V-22 Osprey, and a 1/2 scale Vought F-4U-4 Corsair.

Visitors can try their hand at flying a Curtiss Jenny, an AT-6 Texan, and a Bell XV-3 tiltrotor helicopter through interactive video simulators.

There are over 120 objects in the exhibit spanning everything from Benjamin Foulois's logbook detailing his first military flights in 1910, flight suits worn by Howard Hughes and Katharine Hepburn in the 1930s, astronaut Ed White's helmet from Gemini 4, and Jeana Yeager's ponytail from when she cut her hair to reduce weight on the non-stop round-the-world flight of Voyager in 1986, to uniforms from various Texas based commercial airlines, and a non-ablative rocket engine that will change the future of space travel.

With multimedia interactivity, artifacts, original research, and hands-on experiences for all ages, this exhibition will serve as the next great chapter in the already rich story of Texas aviation.

Support for this exhibit is provided by: The Boeing Company; Hillwood, A Perot Company; Lockheed Martin Corporation; NASA Texas Space Grant Consortium; Triumph Aerostructures-Vought Aircraft Division; American Eurocopter; Aviation and Space Foundation of Texas; Bell Helicopter; Continental Airlines; Powerhouse Animation; and Southwest Airlines.

Admission to the Museum’s exhibits, including Tango Alpha Charlie: Texas Aviation Celebration:
$7.00 for adults,
$6.00 for seniors/military/college students (with valid ID),
$4 for youth ages 5-18,
free
for ages 4 and under.

For more information, visit TheStoryofTexas.com.

ABOUT THE BOB BULLOCK TEXAS STATE HISTORY MUSEUM

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin, Texas, tells the Story of Texas with three floors of interactive exhibits, the special effects show “The Star of Destiny” in the Texas Spirit Theater, and Austin’s only IMAX® Theatre featuring the signature large-format film “Texas: The Big Picture.” The
Education Department brings the Museum to life through engaging, fun, and educational programming for a wide variety of audiences. The Museum also has a Cafe with indoor and outdoor seating and a Museum Store with something for the Texan in everyone. The driving force behind the creation of the Texas State History Museum was former Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock. The Museum is a division of the State Preservation Board.